A (wireless) handheld mobile communication device typically accesses a plurality of different networks, such as voice and data networks. As wireless communication devices are portable, they can connect and communicate with several different wireless communication networks as they roam. Data accounts can provide one or more services such as email, Internet access, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds and other services to the device. One popular data service for a wireless device is email, which provides an ubiquitous means of electronic communications allowing a user to create and distribute an electronic message to others. Voice accounts can provide cellular telephone connectivity, text messaging, Short Message Service (SMS) and others.
Each service that the device subscribes to is typically associated with an account to track usage and billings for the device. Accounts may follow any accounting paradigms, for example: billing per time period, per use, flat fee, volume based (on either time or amount), etc. If an account expires for a service (for example upon exhaustion of a preset data amount), a service provider frequently sets a default “rollover” for the account, where the access is automatically extended, but the pricing and access features of the account are changed to a different class of account. Frequently, the new class has higher fees. As such, the user having a certain type of account may not be aware that his account has expired and automatically rolled over into a different account. As such, his usage charges would be higher and he may only discover this rollover upon receipt of his next statement for his account. For example, for a trial account, access is initially provided to the service for a limited time or data transfer amount. If the user exhausts his trial account associated with the device, he may not be provided with any indication that his account has expired and has “rolled over” into a different type of account.
There is a need for a system and method which addresses deficiencies managing access to such accounts as provided in the prior art.